


Come Away With Me

by CCNSurvivor



Series: Hecate Prompts [1]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Anxiety, Dancing, F/F, First Kiss, Flowers, Personality Potion, Pining, Softbroom, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 22:04:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13960983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CCNSurvivor/pseuds/CCNSurvivor
Summary: Prompt given: Softbroom fic. Hecate does remember, she was just pretending not to so to save face. It’s not entirely worn off either.





	Come Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

> I asked for prompts and I received 2 Softbroom ones. I had some trouble writing this, as rigid Hecate comes much more naturally to me. Still, I hope this is an acceptable compromise and you'll enjoy it. I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

Hecate Hardbroom did not feel much different when she emerged from behind the pillar in the potion’s lab. A slight tingling here and there, a soreness of the feet, the scent of roses in her nose, a lingering taste of anise. No, come to think of it, Hecate Hardbroom felt very much altered when she emerged from behind that pillar. Trouble was, she could not remember why.

Pretending she hadn’t noticed anything, not even the glances exchanged between teachers and students that ranged from relieved to frightened, seemed the best option at the time, and when Ada returned from her hearing at the Magic Council, there really were more important matters to tend to. The news silenced the otherwise so lively castle for a good amount of time, before cries of outrage broke out. Hecate stood her ground, supportive at Ada’s side, fending off questions about what, if and how. There were no answers, they still needed to be found and as Cackle’s new headmistress, she’d better be quick to do so.

When the girls had finally been consoled enough to retreat to their dorms and the staff had concluded their own brief meeting, Hecate slunk away to her room, her head full of thoughts. Thoughts but no solutions and plenty of doubts. Hecate sat at her desk until the sky outside turned dark, staring blankly ahead.

“Well, that’s no fun.”

The voice came out of nowhere. It existed nowhere, only in her head, stubbornly persistent. She did her best to shrug it off and instead allowed her thoughts to wander to Pippa. Perhaps _she’d_ have an answer to the problem. Perhaps she could help out.

Yes, visiting Pippa sounded like fun!

At any rate, it was more productive than lingering at her desk, twiddling her thumbs. Hecate was on her feet in a flash, light as a feather, twirling through the room, collecting her belongings. What she needed them for on a visit to Pentangle’s she couldn’t say, but it felt like an excellent idea. One swift wave of the hand brought forth her broomstick, enveloped in black ribbon and holly berries. On it, she tied the small suitcase that contained her things and was just about to depart when she caught her reflection in the mirror. No, no, no. This bun – her nose wrinkled in distaste- just wouldn’t do. Another wave of the hand then, and down came her dark locks, voluminous and wild.

The trip to Pentangle’s took longer than had she transferred, but she found she rather enjoyed the freedom this mode of transportation awarded her. It was thrilling, liberating, _fun_!

Pentangle Castle might as well have been crafted from the dreams of children or the imagination of fairy-tale authors. Perched in the lush green hills of the English countryside, its white-washed façade and dramatic suspension bridge were sure to draw the eye within an instant. One large tower rose above the rest of the surprisingly compact looking building, while smaller spires and turrets, kept in gold and black, could hardly dream of reaching the sky. But it was to one of these turrets Hecate was drawn now, as it housed the office of the headmistress.

Releasing one hand from her broomstick, she reached out to bridge the gap between herself and the window. Rapping her knuckles against the pane, she almost giggled with glee when she saw Pippa startle around in her chair, her eyes growing wide behind her glasses as she realised what was happening before her.

“Hecate!”

The window was opened, granting her access. Disembarking with a flourish, she plopped down on the comfortable armchair on the other side of the desk, one long leg crossed over the other.

“Good evening, Miss Pentangle.”

It was almost amusing, the way her eyebrows rose higher and higher. “Are you quite alright, Hecate?”

“Of course,” she replied, happily. “I’ve never been better.”

Brown eyes travelled over her face, curious but concerned as well. Yet for the first time, Hecate didn’t feel unnerved by them.

“Well, I’m certainly glad you decided to come by for a visit. Would you like some tea or maybe a doughnut?”

She permitted herself a moment of deliberation, looking around the bright space. There was a fire burning in the distance, warm and cosy. Paintings lining the walls. A small owl sat snoozing in its cage and a whole array of cards lined the mahogany desk in front of her. Everything was designed to be bright and inviting. A proper office for a proper headmistress. Hers would never look like this.

“No, thank you,” she decided at last. “But I would like you to come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Pippa questioned, albeit with a smile, sliding her reading glasses down the bridge of her nose.

“It’s a secret for now. But I promise you, you’ll like it. Will you come with me?”

She rose to her feet once more, extending her hand across the table. The split second’s hesitation that followed did not bother her in the slightest. Then Pippa’s hand slipped into hers and everything turned three shades brighter.

“Give me just one minute to wrap up here.”

Hecate stood by watching for a little while how Pippa locked away the essays she’d been grading but soon lost focus. For some reason it was so hard to concentrate on one thing alone. Her fingers were itching to perform more magic and so she picked up her broom and bade it to hover just outside the window. Without another glance at the blonde, she propelled herself out too and took her seat on the broomstick once more. Minutes ticked by as she floated up and down, legs dangling freely in the air. Why she’d ever given this up, she could not understand.

Finally, Pippa joined her, fully clad in pink travelling cloak, gloves and hat. “Lead the way,” she encouraged her with a brilliant smile, and Hecate shot off into the night towards the destination she had chosen for them.

Silence accompanied them along the way, friendly and comfortable, and it was only when they’d been travelling for quite some time that Pippa spoke up.

“Who would’ve thought we’d be flying together again, Hiccup?” The brown eyes were full of fondness as they darted over her face.

“Not me,” Hecate replied with a chuckle that just came bursting out of her. “I was always so frightened I’d lose all control.”

“Lose control? But you were an excellent flyer. Still are.”

Her tongue loosened by the compliment, Hecate proceeded unthinking. “Because of you, of course. Expert or not, it’s always been difficult controlling my magic when you’re near.”

Who’d have thought that red would go so well with pink? But Hecate found that the blush she’d somehow brought out on the other’s cheeks was incredibly becoming. What more could she do to provoke such response, she wondered.

“Oh, Hecate,” Pippa whispered in the meantime, shaking her head. It was done in a rueful but affectionate manner which gave a part of her pause, but the other part soon won the upper hand and shrugged it off.

The rose garden of Dunham Massey had long held fascination for Hecate, not only for its variety of flowers but also for the natural gazebo that formed its centrepiece. Descending into it now in the middle of the night with only the glow of their magical flames to accompany them, made it even more magical. Hecate caught Pippa’s eye and just knew she was thinking the same.

When their feet met solid ground, they both dismounted a little stiffly and then proceeded to wander around, perfectly alone, perfectly undisturbed.

“I wanted to give you a rose,” Hecate eventually explained, coming to a stop under the gazebo, the moonlight catching the crown of her head. “But then I thought that an entire rose garden might be better.”

“Oh, Hiccup!” There it was again, same tone, same look.

Soft hands found her own, surprisingly warm and comforting. They pulled her closer until body met body. Twirling, pivoting on the spot. Pink and black melting together until she felt dizzy with joy.

“You know, I’ve been wanting to dance with you for the longest time?”

Words whispered into the blonde hair that smelled wonderfully familiar. Her body kept moving on its own accord, hips swaying, brushing up against Pippa.

“And why haven’t you?”

“Because…” She paused, trying to think, her face scrunched up in a frown. “Because…it felt too much…or rather much too…”  Something slowed within her, then vanished. Suddenly she could feel the night-time breeze against her skin, Pippa’s breath against her face. She could feel chests and hips and thighs and…Merlin…what had she done? What had she said? “…daring…”

“Welcome back,” Pippa whispered, must have whispered, there was no other explanation why her lips would be grazing her cheek so intimately.

“How long have you known?”

Her own voice dipped lower in dismay as tension travelled up her spine. Before long, she was utterly rigid with mortification.

“Since the moment you landed in my office. It didn’t take the Great Wizard to see that you weren’t exactly yourself. That…and the lingering scent of anise.” Pippa cocked her head to one side, her hands still wrapped around her waist, steadying her. “A personality changing potion?”

The memories did not return immediately and not vividly either which was a small blessing, she supposed. But the looks, the taste, her sore feet…they suddenly all made sense. Guilt nearly turned her stomach, mixing with fear, making her shake.

“But if you knew…why…why didn’t you stop me?”

Hurt clung to her tone now, an accusation in her words, flimsily disguised. _You were enjoying this. You were mocking me._

“I thought about it,” Pippa admitted calmly. Her fingers, however, gripped onto her a little bit tighter, anchoring her in place. “But then it occurred to me that maybe the potion just gave that part of you a voice that’s so often subdued.”

Another frown creased her forehead. Hecate struggled to think, everything was muddled still, a blur, nothing concrete to hold on to.

“What part?”

“The part that says I’m frightened, I’m overwhelmed. Please just take my hand and run away with me.”

Something connected all too painfully within her, squeezed her heart until tears sprang to her eyes. Hecate could not speak, too big was the lump in her throat, too raw her chest. Her chin trembled, dangerously close to crumbling, tears nearly spilling over, but she stubbornly dug her teeth into her bottom lip and persevered. Then it all came bursting out.

“Ada…is…no…longer…headmistress. I am…I…can’t…be.” A hiccup, a sharp gulp of air. “I am not… _kind_ …Merlin…I called…” Too much, too soon. Tears breaking the dam, rolling down her cheeks. “I called Sybil Hallow a disgrace to the Hallow name.” A whispered confession. “I broke her…I snapped…”

Pippa’s arms wrapped around her more firmly now, the palm of one hand drawing a warm path up and down her spine. Her breathing was steady against her skin.

“That wasn’t very kind.” At least she wasn’t making any excuses for her behaviour. At least Pippa was always real. “And it will have to be addressed, Hecate, but you can fix this still.”

“But the damage done-“

“Cannot be revoked, no. But you can show her that not all adults are like her mother, that there are those who can admit to their mistakes and show remorse.”

Hecate nodded numbly. A small ray of light cracking through the darkness.

“As for Miss Cackle, well, I cannot promise you anything but my help. Perhaps together we can still see her reinstated.” Hazel eyes searched for brown ones and found them, calm and secure and free of judgement. “But if we fail, you will learn to become a great headmistress, Hecate. You already love the girls more than your own life and you have done wonders to protect them. The rest will come. Trust yourself and don’t stifle that part of you that wants to reach out for help.”

Pippa broke away then, the contact sorely missed within an instant. Her hands cupped her cheek instead, wiping away stray traces of smudged mascara. A beat passed between them, then two. Something shunned in the past suddenly communicated without words. Brown eyes clinging to her lips, too brief to be tawdry, too long to be anything less than intimate.

Warmth ignited in her belly, setting Pippa on fire too. She could see it in her look, the gleam, the ember.

“Why did you agree to accompany me?”

She’d already answered that question, of course, but Hecate needed to know if what she sensed was true. That there was more, much more than Pippa ever dared say despite her confidence and warm bravado. She could see her swallow down her fear. One last glance stolen at her lips to strengthen her resolve.

“Because I’ve been waiting my entire life for you to ask me to run away with you, Hecate.”

Affection and longing, palpable like energy around them. 

Pippa's lashes fluttered nervously, teardrops clinging to every strand. Surrounded by a garden full of roses and under the canopy of stars, they might as well have been standing on the edge of the abyss.

This was it, Hecate knew, and personality changing potion or not, she was ready to take the plunge. Her lips met Pippa’s tentatively at first then with growing confidence, nipping, exploring, savouring. A sigh passed between them, or a gasp, an exhalation worth a lifetime of hope.


End file.
